We've all seen cartoons of a person at a point of decision, with a guardian angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other, each trying to persuade the person to do or not do this or that. The message is simple, clear, and often amusing, but what few people seem to realize is that there is also a lot of truth to those cartoons.

Even a lot of people who believe in God don't realize how real the spirit world is or what a major part it plays in their daily lives. Numerous verses and passages in the Bible make it clear that the Lord and His angels on one hand and the Devil and his agents on the other are constantly trying to influence us--and they do it through our thoughts from the unseen spiritual realm. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12 KJV).

To use a modern analogy, God's Spirit is like a radio station and our minds are like radios. God's broadcasts inspire faith, hope, love, wisdom, truth, instruction, and other positive thoughts that inspire positive actions. The Devil is like another station. He deliberately tries to flood the spiritual airwaves with his lies and propaganda and time-wasters--anything to occupy our minds and distract us from receiving and following God's messages.

Whose voice are you tuned in to? Who guides your thoughts and thereby controls your time and actions? This issue of Activated could change the way you look at your thoughts, which guide your life.

Keith Phillips
For the Activated family